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Friday, April 27, 2012

GLASSES & BANANAS

Helloooo, FRIDAY! I've been waiting for you. Any plans this weekend? There is a big, week-long Fiesta going on in San Antonio, but my guy and I haven't gotten the chance to see what it's all about yet. Apparently tons of people fly into the city just for this, and things are happening every day. I'm hoping we can go downtown tonight to catch the last few days of it, but we'll see.

So, party things aside! I've crafted a new story + illustration just for you. Would you like to see? Okay, then:

I noticed her at the end of the aisle, peering into the
wooden crate filled with the bright colored fruit. She gingerly reached inside,
pulling out a bright yellow banana with visible lime green around the top and
edges, . Approaching the bunches of yellow bursts, I continued to observe the fruit balanced precariously in
her dainty hands. Doubling down, she practically dipped her head into the
crate, searching for extra fruit that met her standards.

A woman walked next to her and poked the peel of the banana
held in her daughter’s hands.

“Oh baby, that’s not ripe enough. Pick the ones with less green.
They’ll taster better for the bread.”

“Mama,” she said, looking up, “this is the way I like it. I
like them better when they’re green.”

“Hhmm...okay,” the mother shrugged, with the slightest tinge of a
foreign accent in her words.

The girl nodded, agreeing with herself on her choice of
fruit. Noticing my expression, she looked over at me, smiling.

“These really are the best,” she grinned, pushing up her
large glasses on the bridge of her nose with her index finger in unison with
her sentence.

“You should try them like this.”

I didn’t tell her that I too loved my bananas with bits of
green on them. I had always preferred them that way, even as a child. Feeling a
bit embarrassed for my staring, I blurted out a compliment without trying to
sound desperate.

“I like your glasses.”

“Thanks!” she answered. “When I was picking them out, the
guy who recommended people glasses didn’t like them. He said, 'Those are a bit...goofy.'" She tilted her head to her right shoulder and bulged her eyes in exaggeration of her impression. "But really, is HE the one
who’s going to wear them?”

I giggled. “No, guess not.”

She continued. “Sometimes you come across people that laugh
at you for wearing what you like, doing what you want...you know. Used to bother me, but you know what? Who
cares! Life is short, and I’m going to wear these glasses because I want to. Love ‘em.”

Her mother beckoned her, holding up a grapefruit and
pointing at it with a triumphant smile one her face, eyes wide. She obviously was ready to survey the area for the next best fruit. Looking
up, the daughter quickly gave me a half wave before turning around to join her mother. As
she walked away, I could see her confidence in the sure steps she took, both in
her choice of bananas as well as her glasses.

E: Thank you! Haha wonky! A new favorite word of mine. :) Ahh, me too! My glasses are so similar to the ones you're wearing in your picture. There is SO much more space to see compared to the smaller glasses.

Oh I love this story! I can relate to being attracted or intrigued by someone and getting caught observing them. It's a bit embarrassing but it's fun to wonder about people you see ... I do it all the time :)